I walked for the house, noticing that none of the lights were on, inside or out. The windows were black, and I approached the door, stepping into the shadows of the tree overhead as it blocked out the moonlight.
My hands shook. Everything was so dark.
My mother. Don’t back down, and don’t leave until you get answers.
If I called the police, it would take weeks to sort through the mess as they looked for her. She was on the yacht. She wasn’t on the yacht. She was abroad, so of course it was difficult to reach her. Give it some time, go back to school, and leave it in our capable hands.
No.
Turning the handle on the door, I tightened all of my muscles, hearing the crackling of the packing tape stuck to the inside of my forearm.
The baseball bat was a decoy. If they thought they got one weapon away from me, they might not suspect I had another. Hence, the Damascus blade I’d taped to the inside of my arm, under my sleeve, when I went back to my apartment to get my car earlier.
I forced in a deep breath and inched open the door, putting a foot inside the dark house.
A cold hand snatched my wrist and yanked me inside. I cried out, the door slamming behind me as the baseball bat was torn out of my hand.
“You came.”
Will. I sucked in a breath as his arm came down in front of me and wrapped around my neck, putting me in a lock.
“That was really fucking stupid,” he whispered in my ear.
He released me and shoved me forward, and I whipped around, gasping for breath.
Oh, my God. I immediately shot back, away from him.
He wore a black hoodie with the hood drawn, as well as a mask. But the mask wasn’t like the ones they usually wore. This one was plain white, and I’d never seen it before.
I hunched down just an inch or so and kept my hands out, preparing for him to come at me again.
Holding up the bat, he took slow steps toward me. “What are you going to do with this, huh?” He held it to his groin and began stroking it as if it were his cock. “Yeah, that’s what you like, isn’t it?”
And then he shot out his arm, launching the bat off to the side of the foyer, the wood clanking against the marble floor.
Eyeing me through his white mask, he stalked slowly toward me.
I backed away. “No.”
But then someone else came down on my back, and I screamed as he wrapped his arms around me.
“He may not be as big as that bat, but I am,” a sinister voice threatened in my ear.
Damon.
I steeled every muscle, twisting and fighting against him as I tried to keep my forearm tucked close to me. I didn’t want them to find the dagger, and I didn’t want to use it unless I had to.
Unless I had the opportunity to run, because I wouldn’t be able to take all of them at once.
“Hey, fuck you,” Will shot out. “Rika’s going to love me the most.”
I sucked in short, hard breaths, my abs burning as I fought against his hold. “Fuck off, and let me go!”
Damon grabbed me by the back of my shirt and shoved me away, but it was straight back into Will’s arms.
Will caught me, taking my ass in his hands and holding me to him. “Are you going to love me good, Rika?” he taunted. “Or would you like to try him first?”
He jerked his head behind me, gesturing to Damon before pushing me away from him again and sending me back to his friend.
The room was spinning. “Stop it!” I yelled. “Get off me!”
Where the hell was Michael?
Damon fisted my collar, bringing my face up to his, and I could hear his heavy breathing behind his white mask that was identical to Will’s. “I served the most time. She should get to feel me first,” he told Will, and then looked to his right, speaking to someone else. “What do you think?”
Who—?
But before I had a chance to turn my head to see who he was talking to now, he threw me over to another white-masked man, and I gasped, instantly pushing against his chest as my bare foot got caught under his boot. I hadn’t realized I’d lost a sandal.
“Stop it,” I breathed out, shaking my head.
But the third man simply wrapped an arm around me and fisted the back of my hair with the other. I cried out, my scalp burning.
“Boys,” he called out, “she won’t even be able to tell us apart after a while.”
And then he shoved me back to another one, my feet stumbling across the floor as I fought not to fall.
Kai. How could he do this?
“Hold her,” he commanded as Will caught my upper arms and held my back to his front.
My arms and legs felt heavy, and my head was swimming. I couldn’t get enough air.
“Stop it,” I begged, fighting against Will’s hold.
Kai knelt down in front of me and looked up as he began running his hands slowly up my legs, going around my calves and up my thighs.
“No!” I lashed out, kicking my legs with the small bit of energy I had left.
But he caught my ankles and squeezed them so hard the bones ached. “Got to make sure you’re clean,” he explained in a too calm voice.
“Get away from me!” I bellowed. “Where’s Michael?”
I jerked my head left and right, looking up the stairs and everywhere, but I couldn’t see him.
He was here. He had to be here.
Damon leered behind Kai, watching me with his head cocked as if I were an animal being dissected in front of him. Will kept me flush with his body, his masked-face nuzzling my neck.
“Got anything hidden here?” Kai asked, running his hand up the inside of my thigh.
But I lurched forward, growling, “Fuck you!”